4H - Introduction Roald Dahl

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

Welcome, 4H3!

"A life is made up of a great number of small incidents, and a small number of great ones."

Periode 4

• Examenidioom Chapter 7-12 (start binnenkort!)
  
• Presentations (later meer!)
• TW4: Literatuur (SE1)

16 april: inhaalmoment voor toetsen

• Grammatica: Ediz, Shaquille
• Idioom: Jolina, Valentino, Shaquille
• Betoog: Laisa

"A young boy and his grandmother have a run in with a coven of witches who hate children."

The Witches

"A young boy and his grandmother 

have a run in with a coven of witches 

who hate children."

"An old couple who play practical jokes on each other because they hate each other."

The Twits

An old couple plays practical jokes on 

each other because they hate each other. 

"A young, brilliant girl is neglected and bullied by her parents and teachers, and decides to use her magical abilities to change her life."

Matilda

A young, brilliant girl is neglected 

and bullied by her parents and teachers, 

and decides to use her magical abilities 

to change her life.

"A young boy wins a tour inside a magical chocolate factory from its eccentric owner."

Charlie and the 

Chocolate Factory

A young boy wins a tour inside a 

magical chocolate factory from its 

eccentric owner.

The Witches, The Twits, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

(You might also know The BFG and James and the Giant Peach)

What do these (children's) stories have in common?

ROALD DAHL

At the end of this lesson ..

.. you know who Roald Dahl is, and you broadly know the trajectory of his life

.. you know how his life influenced his work

Assignment 1

• Read the short Roald Dahl biography
• Answer the questions
• Write the answers down in your notebook 

Question 1

Even though he was born and raised in Wales, Roald Dahl’s childhood was full of Norwegian influences. Name four things which reveal this.

1. He was named after a famous Norwegian explorer.
2. He spoke Norwegian as his first language.
3. He was raised as a Lutheran (Church of Norway)
4. He spent his summer holidays in Oslo. 

Question 2

How would you describe Roald Dahl as a child in Dutch?

mischievous > ondeugend

lively > vrolijk, energiek

imaginative > fantasierijk, vindingrijk 

Question 3

Why didn’t Dahl pursue a higher education?

• He disliked the strict regime of school life, and didn't do well with academic authority.
• He wanted to explore the world. 

Question 4

Describe Dahl’s relationship with writing in three steps, from childhood to adulthood.

• He kept a diary as a child
• At school his talent for writing went unnoticed as he didn't follow the rules of the assignment.
• He only took up writing as a job when someone asked him to write down his WWII experiences.  

Question 5

How did Dahl’s time at school inspire his children’s stories?

His difficult relationship with teachers and other authority figures features heavily in his children's stories, particularly Matilda.

His job as a chocolate taster and his fantasies surrounding this became the inspiration for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Question 6

Which four interesting jobs has Dahl had in his life?

• Chocolate taster
• WWII fighter pilot
• Intelligence officer ('spy') for MI6
• Writer

(Also possible: toilet seat warmer for prefects < not really a job)

Question 7

How could Dahl write such treasured children’s stories? (In your answer, include reference to his own life and that of his children)

He had a 'limitless imagination' and the ability to see the world through the eyes of a child. He also used his own children as inspiration, and tested his stories on them with bedtime.

Question 8 

What is said about Roald Dahl’s adult fiction in the text? 

He wrote 'macabre' (=griezelig) stories with a 'deliciously dark twist'

Assignment 2 (homework)

• Read the text on 'Tales of the Unexpected' on page 5+6 of the reader
• Write down at least 4 characteristics of his adult fiction  

Roald Dahl's adult fiction

• Ambiguous, suggestive (dubbelzinnig, suggestief) > He hints at things and we fill in those gaps (reader becomes part of the storytelling process)
• About people in dire circumstances whose support systems have deserted them. 
• Stories are dark, with morally ambiguous characters (moreel grijs) 
• Difficult to categorize into a genre 
  

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